JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – "I can't remember anything about it," said Cosa. "It looked like I was by a semi-truck."
The 56-year-old told Channel 4 that all he remembers is driving home from visiting a friend and slowing down near the intersection. The Florida Highway Patrol said that's when a minivan driving behind Cosa failed to slow down and ran into the back of his vehicle.
"I just don't understand how someone can be hit from behind and end up in a retention pond, it doesn't make sense," said Cosa.
Cosa's car was submerged in the retention pond at the intersection of Chaffee Road and 103rd Street. Witnesses stopped to help him and gave him CPR until emergency responders arrived. That help is something Cosa's family is very thankful for.
" I cannot describe, his life was in their hands, they saved my brother," said Eugene Cosa.
After slipping into a coma, Cosa woke up from his injures about a week after the accident. A month later, he's still feeling the impact of the crash.
"The lung and the brain don't function the way they used too, I don't know how long it's going to take me to get back there," said Cosa.
Cosa told Channel 4 that he's not angry at the person who hit him, but thankful he was able to survive the accident that nearly took his life. Investigators are looking into whether the driver of the mini-van had a medical emergency at the wheel or whether alcohol was a factor in the crash. So far no charges have been filed.